Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Adventure Playground!

Culture shock pretty well sums up my visit to this park with my kids. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it! Coming from Orange County, this park is really astounding. Gone are the prefabricated, fully tested, ultra safe playground structures with that strange squishy ground beneath them. Here kids can collect dangerous objects like nails, pieces of wood and Mr. Dangerous pieces (a piece of wood with a nail sticking out of it) to earn the use of hammers, nails, saws and paint. From there the kids gather whatever
scrap wood they like from around the playground and build, paint or just explore and play.

It's brilliant! The staff help to build some of the forts and the good citizens of Berkeley help by donating their junk (old boats, shopping carts, tires, rope, wood, tools, etc.). Sum it all up and you have a seriously good time
regardless of your age.

The fun, creativity and limitless possibilities make it a joy to visit despite having to sign a liability release form to let your kids play here. We've been back several times (who could resist) and have yet to see anyone get hurt. Riley built a table all by himself which now resides in his room. Sean has become captain of his own pirate ship. They both love the zip line which hurls them across the playground on a rope and wood disk at record speeds straight into a pile of sand. We'll have to go back soon because I'm dying to try the zip line myself when nobody is looking.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Hello Dream House

My love of real estate is alive and if I close my eyes and think of a beautiful Queen Anne Victorian, this house comes to my mind. This house is gorgeous on the outside and on the inside with an ultra modern gourmet kitchen and updated comfort though out. Ok - honestly, I would have kept more of the old world influence and charm on the inside but it's still a keeper. I keep trying to figure out what the layout was before.

The best part about this house is that we'll be moving in and living there starting mid-June! It's located in quaint Point Richmond which is an adorable historic town with a weekly farmers market and monthly concerts. We're within walking/biking distance to the beach. The down side is that the neighborhood could be better (crime from Richmond comes over for the opportunity). There are also several registered sex offenders close which makes me very uncomfortable. I guess the next time I picture my dream house in my head, I'll need to make sure to picture the neighborhood a bit nicer.